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[INTERVIEW] 120604 Park Yoochun “Rooftop Prince was difficult but it has meaning…”

Before we know it, it is already the third drama. He came to sudden prominence as an actor for the first time in KBS2’s drama ‘Sungkyunkwan Scandal’. Through MBC’s ‘Miss Ripley’, he even bagged the newcomer award in MBC’s drama awards after winning it in the KBS’s drama awards. Through SBS’s ‘Rooftop Prince’, he has also shown a more mature side of him as an actor. “He is rising in the acting industry,” people praised. However, Park Yoochun shook his head in disapproval.

“I don’t think it’s that.”

I met Park Yoochun at a hotel in Sangamdong, Seoul for an interview on May 31. He has shown excellent acting as the leading role in all three dramas. ‘Rooftop Prince’ Park Ji Min who acted together with Park Yoochun said, “He broke the prejudice that I had against idol actors.” Viewers also had similar comments on Park Yoochun. “He is improving.”

“It seems that I’ve gotten to know the ‘taste’ of acting.” Park Yoochun was somewhat strict on evaluating his own performance. “I think I can get rid of the pressure and stress to some extent in order to know the way to get into the character naturally. I haven’t been able to learn acting through proper acting lessons so I’m just acting using the experiences that I have had in my life.”

He said, “Acting in ‘Rooftop Prince’ was more difficult than any other drama.” He had to take on two roles so his schedule was tight. He also had to go to South America for a concert with JYJ.

“There were also many times when we faced the danger of not being able to broadcast the episodes on time. The script for the 20th episode came a little late so we had to shoot 70 scenes continuously in two days. I felt like dying. I even had a nosebleed. However, while I was filming and racing for time, my level of concentration increased every moment.”

There were also other difficulties. While filming for ‘Rooftop Prince’, Park Yoochun also experienced agony as his father had passed away. During that time, Park Yoochun had just completed the performances in South America. Right after the wake, he was seen going straight back to the ‘Rooftop Prince’ filming set.

“It is the reason why I have a stronger attachment to this drama. Honestly, it was not easy for me to return to my normal condition at the set. However, when I decided to act in this drama, I knew that Ji Min nuna and I had to act together in many parts, so I felt a sense of responsibility. I felt that it was right to go back to the set and I went through a lot there. I gained strength from the fans who supported me. Even the people who couldn’t bring up the subject and only conversed about day-to-day happenings with me… All these people had given me strength.”

Park Yoochun plans to do more activities as an actor. After ‘Sungkyunkwan Scandal’ in 2010, he has been filming regularly year after year. Yet, he is still looking for more drama activities. “I want to do more work.” It is the greed of wanting to be the leading actor indisputably.

“I am looking at several dramas proposals right now and I want to make a decision within this month so that I can return to acting quickly. I want to do more activities before I get enlisted into the army. After serving the army, I would be in my 30s. So, I think there are some dramas that I can act in when I am still in my 20s. I want to make good use of my age now since time passes very quickly. It is already June and I want to do many activities before the year ends.”